UF proposes extra fee

Undergrads would pay $1,000 a year

Parents of University of Florida freshmen will dig deeper into their pockets next fall if a proposed fee of $500 per semester -- $1,000 a year -- becomes a reality.

University President Bernie Machen unveiled the idea this week as a way to beef up undergraduate programs and propel the Gainesville campus onto a list of top 10 public universities nationally.

Plans call for hiring 200 additional faculty members and 100 faculty advisers, moves designed to lower the student-teacher ratio, expand course offerings and offer undergrads more guidance on their way to graduation.

"It really comes down to an issue of what kind of education do you want your child to have," university spokesman Steve Orlando said Friday. "Unfortunately, to get a better education, it costs money."

UF is Florida's largest and most prestigious public university, but its tuition and fees -- $3,206 this year -- are among the lowest charged by top state schools around the country. It ranked last in USA Today's 2006 survey of tuition at 75 public universities and lowest among the top 15 public universities ranked this year by U.S. News and World Report.

University officials say the state's low-tuition policy is impeding efforts to reduce class sizes and improve the student-teacher ratio -- two measures of academic quality.

Sixty-one percent of classes at the school have 20 or more students, and 20 percent of classes have 50 or more, according to U.S. News, which means classes in Gainesville are more crowded than those at other major public schools, such as University of California at Berkeley. The student-teacher ratio also lags behind other top public campuses -- 21-to-1 versus 15-to-1 at Michigan and 14-to-1 at North Carolina, the same survey found.

Exactly where the new money would be spent has not been decided, although the popular colleges of arts and science and engineering likely would benefit, Orlando said.

The plan program would require approval from the Legislature and the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system. Board members are expected to consider the issue next week.

UF would charge the fee to all undergraduates who enroll for the first time in fall 2007 or thereafter. It would be phased in over four years and is expected to eventually raise $36 million annually, Orlando said. UF has about 36,000 undergraduates, he said.

Needy students would not be charged.

"Any student who has difficulty paying won't pay," said Carolyn Roberts, president of the Board of Governors. "I feel that this is an opportunity for us to enhance the student experience while being fair to the students."

Susan Jacobson can be reached at sjacobson@ orlandosentinel.com or 386-851-7903.